Family Service Agency: Strengthening Santa Barbara County Families for 100 Years

NOTICIAS Quarterly Magazine Of The Santa Barbara Historical Society Vol. XLV. No. 2

Family Service Agency; Strengthening Santa Barbara County Families for loo Years

Summer iggg

A "w ^

in the best ofeconomic times, in every conwmnity there is an undercurretit ofwant:in-

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divicluais ayidfamilies struggling with physical, psychological,financial daTions. During thefirst one hundred years ofSanta Barbara’s history, the taskofaiding those in distress was priinarily takpi up by the institutions ofthe Catholic Church a7id the extendedfamily. By the

late 1800s, however, there was a growing consensits that there was a needfor a private organization which ivould, in part, coordinate charitable efforts in the commmiity.Angelique Leone examines the role the Family Service Agency ofSanta Barbara has played in the history ofsocial service in Santa Barbara County. Since itsfounding in i8gg, Fainily Service Agency has reflected the changing philosophies behind social service worl^, as well as the changing needs ofthe county s population in the last one hundred years. It is a story about meeting challenges and overcoming obstacles. Family Ser-vice Agency used the logo below, at left,from ig6o to ip8j; the logo at right datesfrom 1983 to the Imesait. Front and backcoversportray a clientfamily ofAssociated Charities ofthe igios. Allpho tographs areficnn the collection ofFamily Service Agency ofSanta Barbara unless noted otherwise.

TFIE A UTFIORy Angelique Leone is the Development Director at Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara and has served in that rvlefor more than two years. She graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor’s ofSciaicc in Business Administration.

Author's Acknowledgments: I wish to thank those whose never-ending support and help in research and editing made it possible to tell the amazing story of FSA: Patricia Dillon Bliss; Ronald J. Fronheiser, Jr.; Pam Hamlin; Shirley Ann Hurley; Robin Sias Letourncau; Michael Redmon; and Patricia Sias.

INFORMATION FOR CONTRIBUTORS: NOTICIAS is a quarterly journal devoted to the study of the history of Santa Barbara County. Contributions of articles are welcome.

Those authors whose articles are accepted for publication will receive ten gratis copies of the issue in which their article appears. Further copies are available to the contributor at cost.

The authority in matters of style is the University of Chicago Manual ofStyle, iqth edition.

The Publications Committee reserves the right to return submitted manuscripts for required changes. Statements and opinions expressed in articles arc the sole responsibility of the author.

STRENGTH TO FAMILIES UNDER STRESS ACCREDITED AGENCY FAMILY SERVICE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

Service Agency

Michael Redmon, Editor Judy Sutcliffe, Designer

© 1999 Tlie Santa Barbara Historical Society 136 E, Dc la Guerra Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101 ● Telephone: 805/966-1601 Single copies $5.00 ISSN 0581-5916

nMILY Service (W

Strengthening Santa Barbara County Families for /oo years r

'^niE HISTORY of Family Service ^ Agency of Santa Barbara reflects a century of lamily life in Santa Barbara with its changing values, mores, philosophies, politics, economics, and ap proaches to human need. At the same time, it reveals basic values which have not changed, in spite of economic depres sions and solvency, wars, political uphea vals, epidemics, natural disasters, and all the tragedies which life carries.

Families im Transition While only 6.587 individuals lived in Santa Barbara at the turn of the twentieth century, the need for organized charity work concerned many in the community.^ The social upheaval resulting in America’s transformation from an agrarian society to an industrial giant had an enormous im pact upon local families. The typical selfsufficient family units comprised of multi ple generations turned into separate fami lies and individuals dependent upon eco nomic boom cycles to survive. In the 1890s, during the century’s worst economic depression, many people were without work, and countless immigrants who had come to California seekino the American dream had no support system to help them survive these hard times. It was ob vious to those with economic means that people were in need of food, clothing, and

Angelioue Leone

shelter, but they wanted assurances their philanthropic lunds would be used in the most efficient manner.

As early as 1890, Santa Barbara citi zens met to discuss what they could do to help those in need. The first time serious consideration was given to creating a so cial service agency was on July 31, 1899, when Mrs. E.C. Tallant invited leading citizens to a meeting 'in the interest of organizina charity" at Santa Barbara’s Chamber ol Commerce. Those present in cluded Mrs. G. A. White, Mrs, Paul R. Wright, Mrs. Stoddard. Mrs. E. J. Thompson, Mrs. Coffin, Mrs. Reese, Mrs. Charles Merritt, Miss Kimberly, Miss E. Bamfather, Mr. Edmond Burke, Mr. E. S. Sheffield, Mr, William Wylcs, Rev. Dodge, and Mr. C. C. Davis.

Alter some discussion, the following resolution was adopted, "It being the sense of this meeting that the best inter ests of Santa Barbara demand the unifica tion of all charitable elements in one com pact body, for practical work in relieving the distress of worthy people as well as in protecting ourselves against the appeals of the unworthy," it was resolved "that the chairman of this meeting[Edmond Burke] appoint a committee of five . . . to report a plan of organization . . . when a perma nent organization shall be effected."

On August 7, this group approved the Constitution of Associated Charities (later called Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara) and created Santa Barbara County’s tirst organized social service agency. At a subsequent meeting, Mrs. E. C. Tallant was elected President; Dr. Ida 25

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Scambach. Vice President; Mr. C. C. Da vis. Secretary; and Mr. E. S. Sheffield, Treasurer. The Associated Charities Arti cles ol Incorporation, dated 1908, names its directors as Mrs. E. C. Tallant. Mrs. E. J. Thompson.

Mr. William Wylcs. Dr. C. / E. Vaughan, and Mr. Wil liam G. Grillith. / '■^Relieving the Dl STRESS While

the

prided itscll on quickly and adequately meeting the material needs ol the lamily and in a manner that preserved the "selfrespect and integrity" of the family unit. Another objective during \ those early days was "to be the center of inter communication between the charitable agencies in y the city, and to check the \ evils of overlapping re\ lief.” A good example \ ol how the lounders

/ /

terms /

''worthy" (defined as / those livelihoods

\ put those philosophies into practice is the Agency’s Family Milk Fund. Begun in 1917 at the siicracstion of oo

ruined by depression) and "unworthy” used

by Family Service Agency's founders arc uncomfortable today, the aims of these lead ers arc not. Their mis- \ sion was "to raise the \ needy above the need of \ relict, prevent begging \ and diminish pauperism \ and to prevent indiscrimi- \ natc alms sivins. ” This torward-thinking group was in sistent upon people helping \. themselves, a philosophy that has woven its way throughout Family Service Agency’s colorful history.

Housed at 720 Anacapa Street, the ear ly efforts of Associated Charities consist ed ot one stall member and a number of volunteers providing tor "relict cases."

Food, clothing, wood, as well as money tor medical bills and travel back East to family who could care lor sick members or to cities with better medical care, were among the first services oftered. In its first full month of operation, September 1899, eight families were served with grtKcries, cash, medical care, etc.

Early minutes state. "The agency feels it has a modern, scicntilic method of thor oughly investigating needy cases, rather than indiscriminate giving." The agency

Visiting Nurse Asso ciation and lunded by / the Native Daughters / of the Golden West. / the program provided / milk to lamilies that

/

/ suffered Irom dietary de' ficiencies. To qualily lor the program a lamily had to receive a statement Irom

a physician or nurse stating the amount ol milk needed.

Malnutrition, tuberculosis, dia betes, peptic ulcer and pregnancy were the most common diagnoses given Irom the relerring physician. The lamily also had to show that their income was insullicient to buy the needed milk. While deliv ering milk to the homes, the caseworker helped in meal planning and budgeting, as well as educating mothers on the "impor tance of fresh milk lor children.” The pro gram continued until 1946.

Notes from that era document help given to a family of five and illustrate how the Milk Fund was put into practice. The yV/r.s. E.C. Tallant ivas a prime mover in organiz' ing Santa Barbara’sfirst social service ageiicy and became the first preside7it of Associated Charities in 1899. Santa Barbara Historical Society.

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FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY fachcr. a day laborer, was earning approxi mately $60 a month when he was able to find work; there was no regular income.

The two-year-old child, attending the Baby Clinic at Visiting Nurse Association. was undernourished. The doctor rcquested they be part of the Family Milk Fund. The mother was pregnant and was attending the pre-natal clinic at the County Hospital, w’hich recommended that she receive additional milk as well.

Therefore, two quarts ol milk were deliv ered daily, while milk required for the needs of the other family members was purchased out of the father’s earnings. At the same time, the mother learned about budgeting and meal preparation each time the milk was delivered.

Building the Foundation On March 10. 1910. Associated Charities bought the historic Arellancs adobe at 800 Santa Barbara Street. While there, the agency laid the foundation for the guiding principles used in its social work of today.

Built in 1795. "the adobe,” as it was

A recipient ofthe Associated Chanties Family Milk Fund. The fund operated from 1917 to 1946,

commonly and lovingly called, was the first of its kind built outside the quadran gle walls of the Royal Presidio. It had been a general store before Tcodoro Arell ancs purchased it for his town residence.^ Associated Charities enlarged the original adobe with two wings. One housed the Industrial Department activities of the agency and the other was the agency’s thrift store. This was one of the first res torations in Santa Barbara of an historic

and boys’ club meetings, a hall for con certs and parties, a library, a kitchen, an "outdoor gym” with tennis and basketball courts and the addition of an outdoor

house converted to public usc.'^ On June 2, 1910, the Neighborhood House Association joined Associated Charities in the adobe. This agency’s aim was to halt increasing juvenile delinquen cy among local youth with too much time on their hands. They hired Margaret Bay lor to establish recreation activities to be housed at the adobe. Called Neighborhood House, the portion of the adobe they man aged included rooms which housed girls’

dancing platform and bandstand a few years later. These activities and Baylor’s efforts were the forerunner to Santa Bar bara’s Recreation Center.^ For the next thirty-five years, under the direction of Nancy Wincca Emery, Associated Charities’ Superintendent from 1919 to 1936, the adobe was the focal point of Santa Barbara human services, providing the social conscience of the community in its approach to serving families.

Social Work

)NAPSHOT

In 1920 the Associated Charities had six aims in doing welfare work: 1. meet ing emergencies in families; 2. providing an educational program among toreign-

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4 A client family ofAssociated Charities, ca. 19205.

Speaking families co aid in learning English and CO sew and ax>k; 3, discribucing milk for undernourished children and families with illnesses; 4. acting as che local agent tor che State Board ot Charities and Cor rections in supervising family boarding homes tor children; 5. representing che Children’s Department ot che State Board of Control by keeping in couch with fami lies housing orphaned children; and 6. cooperating in etforcs coward social and civic bcccermcnc of Santa Barbara.-'’

In the 1920-21 annual report. Emery wrote, "since even Santa Barbara can be only an earthly paradise, sickness and sor row must come occasionally, and Asso ciated Charities has been stationed as a safeguard co see chat no preventable pov erty nor suffering enters or continues un relieved." It is noted chat 345 families were assisted in chat year and frequently tinancial relict was not the greatest need and was "never the only need."

Typical cases during the 1920s includ-

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY

Public education played a major 7vlc in the agency’s mission. 'Ilie hidicstrial Department’s cooking classes ivere designed to teach stude^its to prepare nutfitionally -balanced ineals. ed: a man with tuberculosis, his family destitute; a deserted wife crippled with rheumatism; a mother with three children, destitute, her house and contents having been burned and her husband in jail; a fam ily with six children, the father hopelessly ill; a widow with five children; an aged couple, the hu.sband crippled and wile blind; live small children, their lather de ceased, their mother in the hospital; a man unable to secure light work, which is all he is able to do; an older lady, destitute, crip pled and suffering from asthma; and a mother ill with her husband out of work.

wing could be used as an Emergency Hospical during the influenza epidemic chat struck Santa Barbara that year. When it reopened in May of 1920. it was charged with the mission of teaching skiffs to women who needed work but did not have the training or the opportunity to find jobs.

Women came once a week for six hours to learn sewing in the immaculate and advanced sewing room at the adobe.

A nursery was available for children not in school to ensure the women could at-

During 1919, the Associated Charities Industrial Department closed so its adobe

tend. Since there was a constant waiting list of women who wanted to be part of this program, great care was taken by the staff and volunteers to ensure those most in need would be served first.

LEFT: The Arellanes adobe, at 800 Santa Bar bara Street,served as the agency’s headquartersjor seventy years.

The women in the sewing class made children’s clothing "neatly and carefully.”

The items were sold in the agency’s Chil dren’s Shop, which specialized in school and play dresses. Associated Charities was

Public E.ducation

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very proud of the achievement of these women and the quality of the clothing. In the 1920-21 annual report, they invited the public to patronize the Children’s Shop, "not as a charity however, lor excellent value is given in well-made dresses of good material in many attractive designs.”

The Industrial Department also con ducted two cooking classes, consisting of twelve lessons each. Tlie first class taught mothers how to prepare noonday meals for their families by properly selecting and preparing food. The other course was for young girls who learned how to prepare and serve luncheon meals for paying guests, thus acquiring training and skill "which enabled them to go into lamilies to earn their living." The Industrial Depart ment also taught the fundamentals of housecleaning and laundry work so wom en "with no little children, who need to go out for hour or day work may be compe tent along these lines and be sent out with our recommendations."

The Santa Barbara State Teachers Col lege was a key Industrial Department partner. Its students assisted in the classes

7/ie Building Fund zvas cstabUshal in 1922 to loazi fazniiics money to build their Iwmes. Owing the Depression, ^^sociated Chanties built their (nvn homes,such as this one m 1932.

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as a part of their practice teaching. In ad dition, it was these students who taught English for the foreign-speaking mothers.

"They cannot leave the babies to go to the school, so the teacher is to come to them (at the adobe] to help them keep pace with the husbands and children," Associated Charities also ensured that the holidays v\'ould not be a time of sor row for the needy families in Santa Barba ra. It .served as headquarters for the c(miimunity’s Christmas baskets. In 1921. seven hundred children and sixty seniors received baskets filled with toys, food and clothing. The Needlework Guild provided warm chxhing and the Elks Club donated money for the Shoe Fund, ensuring shoes for those too poor to buy their own.

Buildinc: HomesgFamilies In August. 1922, Associated Charities began a Building Fund with a gift of $500 from Dr. and Mrs. H. P. Mostly, The let ter sent with the check read: "Dr. and Mrs. Mo.sely will give to the Ass(xiatcd Charities five hundred dollars to start a re volving building fund, with the hope and expectation that the Board of Managers will use every effort to add to this sum as soon as possible. It was the understanding that this money shall be loaned to such families as the Associated Charities rec-

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY ommend, to enable them to build them selves suitable homes, and when the mon ey is returned it shall be loaned to another family.” In addition to Dr. and Mrs. Mosely’s and other donations received, all money earned from the Children’s Shop was earmarked for the Building Fund Ac count from 1924 through 1926.

The Associated Charities’ Building Fund Committee loaned money at a low rate of interest and the borrower repaid it in small installments. As the money was repaid, it was loaned out again. The pro gram’s stated aim was "to help families to own their ow'n homes by loaning money to those who have already saved small sums, but have not sutticient [sic] to buy or build, or even to borrow the necessary amount from the banks." Loans also were made tor the moving ol a house to a lot, the payment ol street assessments and home improvements such as plumbing.

The fund had a waiting list alter its first three months ol operation.

Supervising Aid During this period ol the agency’s his tory, a County Wcllarc Department which would standardize relief work tor the entire county was a vision that would not become reality until 1930. Instead, county supervisors administered aid for five districts. The supervisors tor District 1 (Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito) and District II (the City of Santa Bar bara) arranged lor Associated Charities to handle relief in those areas. In return, they paid the salary of one worker and provid ed gas and oil for one car.

The majority ot those receiving county funds were the elderly who could "never be restored to self-support.” Each case was handled on an individual basis. An elderly lady who was bitter about becoming de pendent, reported to her neighbor, "They make me forget that 1 am receiving chari ty;" while in another case. Associated Charities was "obliged to bring legal pres sure to bear on a son" so that he might

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care for his aged parencs rather chan have them become "county charges.” As has been the case throughout the agency’s his tory. the organization supplemented regu larly at least one-half of the county’s funds to ensure families received adequate support and regularly gave emergency as sistance not funded by the county.

In addition to county aid, Associated Charities collaborated with the Children’s Department of the State Board of Control by supervising lamilies receiving state aid.

Again, the agency supplemented govern ment funds in many cases. "These are the sad little groups from whom the father has been taken by death, and we must stand bv to guide, to plan and to encour age. not for a week or a month, but stead fastly for years until the family is once more on a firm footing.”

Associated Charities acted as the local agent for the State Board of Charities and Cooperation, supervising family boarding homes lor children. Securing a sufficient number of approved homes was a con stant struggle. Every year it was reported they could not place all those in need, "In spite oi a special cHort this year we have been unable, on account of inadequate housing, to secure a sulficient number of these approved homes in which to place homeless children tor either permanent or temporary care." This struggle to find enough qualitied homes plagued the organ ization tor decades.

The agency’s work was well-received during these first thirty years. A letter from the Office ot juvenile Court of Santa Barbara County states: It is my ptecisurc to be asked to expressjor the Juvenile Court Ccmimittee the great appredation u'hich is Jelt Jor the valuable cooperaLio7i and matenal assistance given by your organization dieting this past year [1917] to children who have c(me under its care. In going over the worl{ oj the year, it has been seen how very close and valuable has been the help given us, and ive wish to ex press most heartily our thanks.

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Supervisor Samuel J. Scanwood seated in 1927, "Associated Charities has been of incalculable assistance to the Board of Su pervisors in taking care of the relief work in the Santa Barbara district.” He added that he wished other districts in the county had such efficient rcliel supervision.b

Eai^thouake of 1913 The July 1925 Board of Director's min utes state that "owing to the destruction of the old adobe in the earthquake of June 29th last, and the unpleasant frequency with which slight shocks continue to oc cur, it was deemed best to hold the meet ing under one of the trees in front of the Neighborhood House.”

Immediate needs of families and indi viduals devastated by the earthquake were being met by the Red Cross, therefore, the agency looked to help with the long-term effects of the tragedy. The agency started a special earthquake relief fund from dona tions. "The need for such a fund will be come increasingly apparent as the effects of the earthquake upon families' situations develop. Tliis fund was most generously started bv Mrs. Frederick Gould bv a sift of a $1,000.” One month later, the special fund totaled $4,000 and more and more families were seeking help having exhaust ed all other resources.

Fortunately for the agency and Santa Barbara architecture, Mrs. William Nor man Campbell loaned her employee.

George G. Garman. to Associated Chari ties to supervise the salvage work of the adobe. "Virtually all the old time and an cient carved wooden columns were sal vaged and served in the reconstruction of the building.”^ During this reconstruction, eight fluted columns from the patio veran dah of the Aguirre adobe at Anacapa and Carrillo Streets, formerly Santa Barbara’s largest private home, were added to the

adobe.

The reconstruction was completed af ter four months. The London-born Gar-

man proved to be invaluable and the agen cy offered him a job as an engineer, re sponsible for caking care of the property.

He stayed with the agency for more than twenty-five years and was lovingly re ferred to as the "Dean” of the agency.

In 1927, Associated Charities built and opened a north wing at the adobe and named the area Neighborhood House after the association chat had been occupying the space before the earthquake. "The name chosen is appropriate, for it is a neighborly sharing of things with those in less secure circumstances by those who have that which to share, that makes the operation of the Associated Charities pos sible.’’^ The adobe now had the "Industrial section on one side, the office and large conference room parallel to Santa Barbara Street and the Weaving and Basketry and Salvage Shop in the wing on the right, EFRESSION © lOciAL Work Associated Charities had a difficult time meeting the economic needs of lamilics during the Depression, but this did not stop it from applying its philosophy of helping people to help themselves, as shown by the organization’s "relief projects.”

Carman, who had proved to be invalu able in the reconstruction of the adobe af ter the 1925 earthquake, proved to be equally vital during the Depression. Car man led the agency's wood, shoe and veg etable projects. These programs used a number of unemployed men to the benefit of their families, as well as others.

The wood project consisted of the men chopping down and sawing up trees, and, with the aid of trucks loaned by residents of the city, delivering the wood to families in need. At the peak of operations, one hundred fifty cords of wood per month were being cut and delivered. The cob bling program taught men to repair shoes for themselves and others. More than sev en hundred pairs of shoes a month were repaired at the height of the project.'^ The vegetable project, supported by residents

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY

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riic wood project tutsjivit one of mciny adjicstmcnts the agency vuide to meet the increased demandfor aid caused Iry the Qreat Depression.

of the community who paid for the use of the truck, enabled men to travel to Santa Maria, collect one hundred crates of vege tables a day. including lettuce, carrots, peas, cauliflower, etc., and deliver the food CO needy families.'^ Depots tor distributing tlour. bread, and ocher staples were established in the Santa Barbara area, one at Associated Charities, one at the East Side Social Cen ter. and one at the Salvation Army. The amazing number ol people helped during this time by Associated Charities may be understood by caking a look at a single month in 1932. In June ot chat year. 86 people a day (2,229 chat month) were helped through this commissary depart ment. During the month, it distributed 8.371 loaves of bread. 11,364 pounds ol Hour, as well as 600 crates of Iruic and veg etables. 600 chickens, and several hundred pounds of lish. With the soaring number of people in need, these projects eventually became coo large tor Associated Charities and became State enterprises and finally Works Progress Administration projects.

During the early Depression years, dif ferent measures were taken by numerous groups and organizations to meet the var ying and growing needs of local citizens.

Associated Charities not only provided a home lor these emerging social services at the adobe, but also stepped in w'hcn there was no ocher rcliel in sight. For example, there was found to be a need for dental work beyond that which was given by the County Hospital. A committee was organized consisting ol dentists and repre sentatives from health and relief agencies.

Meeting at the adobe, each representative presented applicacie>ns lor clients in need ol dental work and the dentists would volun teer their services based on the case. Those individuals not known to the committee or not active with any ocher agency were cold CO apply tor help at Associated Charities, which would meet with the iamily and present its need to the committee if war ranted. Associated Charities did the clerical work, including record keeping, tor all the clients brought to the committee.

The dental ccMiimictcc illustrates the leadership role the agency assumed during the Depression. All other relict organiza tions during this time would reter individu als to Associated Charities it they had not worked with them bctorc. In cttccc, the agency was helping all chose who no one else would, a cradicitMi the agency upholds codav.

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Meeting New Needs The agency reinvented its 1920s pro grams to answer the needs ol the Depres sion era. The sewing classes that were part of its Industrial Department became a sewing project, similar to other work pro jects, The Red Cross allocated cotton to Associated Charities so garments could be made. Tlic clothes then were distributed through the agency’s Clothing Bureau, a Community Clothing Exchange program chat was part ol the President’s Commit tee for Unemployment Relief. In 1933, the agency distributed some v57,000 articles of clothing. The Clothing Bureau became known as the Salvage Shop in the 1940s when it sold everything from furniture to magazines and eventually was named the Thrift Shop. The Thrift Shop closed in 1969, when its proceeds could not cover its expenses.

The Associated Charities’ Building Fund also evolved during this time. The Depression made it difficult for families to buy homes and the Building Fund Com mittee was afraid to make loans based upon wage expectations. So, the agency chose to build three of its own homes to

rent CO those in need. "The purpose of this enterprise was two-fold: first, to provide employment: second, to meet a pressing need lor inexpensive but sanitary, com fortable and attractive homes at a rental low enough to be within the means of a tragically-enlarged low-income group."

In 1932. the agency secured $2,250 from the Santa Barbara branch of the President’s Organiration for Unemploy ment Relief to fund labor costs for the building ol one three-bedroom and two two-bedroom homes. How'cver. it was stipulated that wages could be no more chan $3 a day. Associated Charities then arranged for the Building Trades Council’s members to accept this payment race. An architect and contractor provided their services for free and secured all the build ing materials at cost. The total cost of the three homes was $8,230,87.

Associated Charities bought two addi tional houses, owning a total of five homes which they rented at low races to those who could not afford otherwise to live in Santa Barbara. The Building Fund Committee reported: "We realize chat live families is very small number to help secure adequate housing facilities, and

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY chat this is more a demonstration chan an attempt to meet the whole need.”

The houses w'ere sold in 1943; howev er. the agency continued to loan money for purchasing and renovating homes until 1955 when the cost of building and gov ernment loans made the need

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girls from Spanish-speaking homes, and an older women’s social group. In 1937, a coral of 27,225 individuals parricipaced in group work activities. By 1942, there were thirty-seven dillcrcnc children’s groups with almost seven thousand chil-

for the types of loans they had given obsolete. In March, 1955, Associated Charities turned over the Building Fund, which totaled $19,000, to the Senior Center ol Santa Barbara which was building houses for older needy per sons.

With the advene of public welfare departments, federal relief, and a social security program, social work changed its locus during the lace 1930s and early 1940s irom "wcllarc-dispensing” work to group work. Group work brought individuals to gether to create environments where chil dren and their families would learn good behavior by example and be discouraged from using inappropriate behavior, again by example.

Associated Charities followed this trend of group work rather than case work under the leadership of Laura McKeen, a trained group worker. In 1936. she explained to the Board. "There is a logical connection be tween family case work and group service.

In fact it is the Agency worker's knowl edge of the families' needs chat has prompt ed the organization of groups to meet these needs and develop a character-building pro gram along lines not being met by other community groups,” In 1936. the agency conducted eight regular groups and had a number of groups chat met only occasionally. Regu lar groups included the La Rtxsita Club.

LEFT:Over 57,000 articles ojclothing zvere made tlxen distributed thwugh the agency’s Sezvmg Pro ject in 1933 alone.

Neighborhood House and Associated Chanties Salvage Shop,early ig^os.

dren participating a year. Activities ranged from fine arcs, theater, cable games, story hour, and music to sports and camping crips. The purpose of these groups was "not to keep children off the streets but to help them adjust to associa tion in a group so that they will be able to adjust better to the complex life of our civilization.”^^ Group work was not limited to chil dren. The "Mother-Child Workshops” were meant to teach mothers the proper way to care for their children and how to model appropriate behavior for them while the children adapted themselves to playing, eating, and sleeping in groups.

The intended result would be happier and more harmonious homes from "wellbehaved offspring and instructed moth ers.”''^ To better reflect this new trend of group work, in 1938, Associated Charities renamed itself Neighborhood House, the name the community had grown to asso ciate with group activities taking place at the adobe and harkening back to the de funct Neighborhood House Association.

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rival, Tcnny and his one professional case worker. Monica Kramer, had more cases chan they could handle.

Mildred Valentine became the agency’s Executive Director in 1946 and guided the agency for the next twenty years. She real ized Tenny’s vision as well as ensured Neighborhood House’s foothold in the de livery of quality family services in Santa Barbara. In June 1948, the agency became a member of Family Service Association of America, This affiliation underscored the successful transition from a group work agency to a family service agency. Just nine months later. Neighborhood House reported a record 1.732 people seeking counseling services. 75 more chan the year before. The number of mental health cases

Beginning in 19^6, Mildred Valentine guided thefoHunes oj Neighborhood I /oiise, later Fam ily Service Agency,for tiventy years cis its Exec utive Director.

Adveni'of Family Service In 1945. Stanley W. Tcnny began Neighborhood House's Family Clinic, a family counseling program, and started the Agency on its path toward family ser vice programs, ’’The Family Clinic will deal with emotional problems which are the deep-seated type, instead of only delv ing into the environment [s'ic] type as Neighborhood House did in the past," ex plained Arthur Gild. Executive Director of the War and Community Chests, the or ganization which was the principle finan i.s cial support of the Family Clinic.

Santa Barbara was one of only four cit ies in California to have a Family Clinic certified by the Family Welfare Associa tion ol America. This organization was an accrediting organization that invited into membership only those agencies that illustrated the highest standards of family service-type care. Six months after his ar-

had increased eight percent from the previ ous years. Issues chat caused people to seek help were juvenile delinquency, lack of pa renting skills, high cost of living, marital problems, and housing problems.

In conjunction with its family service program, in 1949. Neighborhood House began its children’s counseling program with Dr. Richard Lambert serving as the Neighborhood House consulting psychia trist. This also marks the first practice of play therapy lor the agency, a practice chat continues today. Dr, Lambert’s expla nation of this technique is still relevant: 1 hey [children] do not have the language to tell us their pwbleyns nor the insight to state u’hat things make them happy and what things cause them to suffer. Socialivorkers at tuned to the thinking ofchildren have been able tojind other means oj discovering these things besides talking. The ivorker participates ac tively with the child in ivhat the child brings up in a creative mamier out oj his troubled 17 mind asgood and necessary play material.

In 1951. between fifty and sixty chil dren were served in the agency’s counsel ing program. Social workers at the time were Jean Caesar, Ruth Cording, and Malcom McCabe. New issues that brought children and their families into Neighboriiood House included fears as.sociated with

37

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY the Cold War. atomic bomb, and the

of the rue and hack on the road.”

draft, as well as difficulty adjusting to the increase of working mothers, the mobility of families, and the high cost ol living.

Marriage counseling also began during this time. "It is not a confession ot weak¬

With more and more people accepting and promcKing family services. Neighbor hood House saw more than hall its clients

ness to seek expert advice on a problem which threatens the stability of a marriage, any more than it is to seek a doctor's advice on physical ailment," Valen tine said in calling attention to the services offered by Neighborhood House. Eight to ten couples were approaching the agen cy lor counseling each month.

Family Service Aoency oe Santa Barbara Born Bv the early 1950s. the agency's chil dren, family, and couple counseling ser vices were being called Neighborhood House’s Family Ser\'ice Department. The department's goal was to enhance lamily living, prevent social breakdowns, and di rectly aid people in difficulty "to get out

being referred by doctors, lawyers, other professionals, and other agencies. The bal ance was individuals seeking help on their own.

Neighborhood House's goals (d the \950s began to reflect those that became the mantra for family service agencies across the nation: prevention and inter vention. Valentine stated in 1953: Ourgoal then jor children is tivo-Jold: it Ls first to be able tliwugh the schooLs U7id through families to be able to find the children icho need help before their patterns of inter personal relationships are damaged beyond help. And it is, second, to help families to help themselves enough so that there u'ill not be children having temper tantrums, children unable to read, children ivho stammer, chil dren who steal or children who run A 1954 report gave a synopsis of why

A play group,sponsored b\ A’eighborhood I louse, 1942,

38

residents sought Neighborhood House ser vices; twenty percent were families seek ing help because ot problems with their children; forty percent were couples ask ing for help because ot "complicated adult life and marriage;” twenty percent came to FSA because of aging issues, either the problem of having an aged person in the tamily or because of their own problems in accepting the problems of growing older; ten percent came for help in attaining di rect economic relief; and the remaining ten percent would prove to have serious emo tional problems.

Even with this new thought of inter vention and prevention on the threshold, the agency continued to struggle with the age-old problem that dated back to the 1920s of finding qualified loster care homes. In 1953, Neighborhood House only had, at any time, eight to ten li censed foster homes when the goal was to have at least twenty, This meant children had to stay in juvenile hall, remain home less, etc.

Board minutes during this period in the agency’s history show a growing concern about the aging population and the need to serve this population. How ever, the lack ol funds placed barriers on any direct services to seniors except counseling.

Mrs. Ernest F. Russell, 1953 board member, wrote in an April letter to the board: It does seern necessary to state our primary purpose in our name which is the carrying on ofthe Family Service program. Other agen cies ivho are doing both children’s and family work eis we are, have called themselves the 'children’s and Family Agency’or 'Child and Family Agency.’It seems to me inherent in the word 'Family ’that an agency is treating both family and children, and unnecessary then to point it out by having the children name in the official name ojthe Agency.

Neighborhood House officially was re named Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara (FSA) in May 1953, completing

NOTICIAS

the transition from a group-focus agency to a family-scrvice-oricnted one.

Welfare Service Center While FSA was transforming itself, it also was remaking the adobe into a wel fare service center for Santa Barbara. It was believed that in uniting services under one roof, the agencies would function with greater case among themselves, and to greater public benefit, if they were ac tual neighbors. The first step towards this end occurred in 1948, when Neighborhood House built a permanent home for the Community Chest (which became Santa Barbara County’s United Way) at the adobe.

The welfare service center slowly be came a reality as the agency rented at low races (and, on occasion, at no cost) to or ganizations such as County Mental Hy giene Clinic. When their facility on Gar den Street burned in 1956, FSA invited them to Neighborhood House where they stayed for three years.

An average of two hundred fifty indi viduals came weekly to the adobe for community functions. The sice served as headquarters and meeting places for Alco holics Anonymous, University Women.

Hard of Hearing League, the Homestead ers, Canary Fanciers. Begonia Society, Fo resters Lodge, the Mutual Benefit Society, the Coterie Dancing Club, and many in ternational agencies such as the Danish, Scandinavian, Japanese, Mexican, Italian, and Spanish societies. Weekly City Health Pre-Natal classes were held there and the handicraft class for the blind was formed and started meeting at the adobe.

The Council of Cliristmas Cheer was housed there for a time and the Needle work Guild met there during the summer.

Santa Barbara Booms During the latter half of the 1950s and early 1960s, the country was going through a period of adjustment and an un derstanding of new family life. These so-

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY

39

adapt to new schools, housing shortages were common, and, often, when the Cali fornia dream didn't materialize, economic difficulties resulted. All these issues con

1/

cluded in more and more people turning to FSA for consultation and advice.

This period also marks the first time the agency served the entire county. Fund ed by the local United Ways, in 1960, FSA offered counseling services one day a week at Lompoc Community Services House and one day a week at the Santa Maria Y.M.C.A. Approximately fifty cas es each month were being seen in the north county. In 1961, approximately two hun dred fifty hours of counseling was provid ed for individuals from Carpinteria.

In 1958, the agency saw a thirty-one percent increase in families and individuals seeking services. In 1964. Valentine and her five social workers maintained a case

Outdoor art classes u'crc among the many /ttograms the agency ojjered area chddren. Esther Ju lian conducts this class in u)4z.

cial changes were reflected in a new way of looking at social work. In her 1956 an nual meeting speech. Valentine stated: We have jinalLy come through the tense time ivhen jainilies went to jyieces because of lack,oj anh>loyment or because oj the fears in volved in ivaitingJor a huslxmd orfather to be called to military sewice, then again ivaiting for him to ctmie home. A/mo we are aiibarfed on the long ^ull of rebuildingfamily life, ojun derstanding the relationships between parents and children, and providing all sorts oj advantages to both young and old, both gifted and retafxled and to husbayids and wives 21

equally.

This philosophy would prove to be the focus of FSA’s future.

The growing population o[ Santa Bar bara from 1955 tci 1965 meant an increase in need for family services. New families coming to Santa Barbara often faced a dif ficult period of adjustment, children had to

load of one hundred fifty to one hundred seventy-five clients and a waiting list of about twenty at each site.

In the late 1950s. one of the most com mon problems brought to FSA was the lack of budgeting skills. The staff set up budgets for more than one hundred fami lies during 1956 and then helped the fami lies make the budgets work with Neigh borhood House supervision and guidance.

FSA also had a Consultation Service where the staff assisted an average of twenty-five young men and women a year in selecting vocations. The trained social worker would help these young adults find the occupation for which they were best suited.

The inspection of foster homes contin ued during this time. FSA showed an in crease of fifty percent in the number of children placed in 1958. A total of twen ty-seven children needed such placement compared to eighteen the previous year.

This period in the agency’s history was the first time it strongly addressed the needs of seniors. In the late 1950s. about ten percent of the agency's work load consisted of services for the elderly.

40

NOTICIAS

Mrs. Joseph Kirchmaicr, FSA social work er, explained in 1956, "Our service to the aged or aging includes counseling in the acceptance ot environmental readjustment in the homes of relatives or in rest homes; exploration ot resources to meet medical and emotional needs; counseling with rela tives to develop insight into the problems ot the aging and to aid them in the neccssary readjustments in their homes.

These remain the under-

know his tamily was being supported.

The lather expressed his thanks in a note received a tew days later. "There comes time in every man’s life when things sem [.sic] to be at the lowest possible ebb. Sud denly. someone offers a helping hand and the whole world seems entirely differ ent. ●’2.3 Mrs. William Bollav. FSA’s Board

lying principles of FSA’s services to senior citizens in 1999.

The Nfav Social'/Worker The late 1950s and early 1960s also saw a change in sticial workers’ hours and Hcxibility. This meant Valentine and her live social work ers would adapt to the client’s need.

"Wc have placed Family Service Agency within the reach ot all those who are seeking it," Valentine ex plained. Evening hours were started, lunchtime counseling was availa ble, and early morning. Saturday and Sunday appointments were made it necessary, a revolutionary idea at the time.

The extent to which social workers ot the time went to serve those in need is illustrated by a 1961 case. A Santa Barbara man was forced to go to Los Angeles to work and support his tamily. While there, he tell ill and had to be hospi talized. He was unable to earn or send money to his wile and five childrcn. He remembered seeing the FSA sign in his Santa Barbara neigh borhood and called. Within hours of

'llic MOD SQUAD began in k^-j,a program m which bmsjwm Los Pnetos Boys Camp aided seniois by perJomiing maintancncc and gardening chores at the Litters’ homes.

his call tor help, a social worker \\'as at his family's house. The electricity had been turned oil when a $40 bill had not been paid. By that evening. FSA had the elec tricity turned on by giving the utility company a partial payment; supplied the tamily with a substantial amount ot food; and sent a letter to the father letting him

President at the time, takes the story from there. "Our staff found a rent-free home on a ranch tor the family, a home that the man with his carpentry skills could tix up. Thus, the tamily was together again and has staved together, as the ta ther has tound permanent employment on the ranch. "24

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY A 1961 article from The Carpinteria Herald states FSA has "extensive knowledge and long accumulated experi ence in causes and cures of family problems.

As a result they have become chc authority in chc community about chc ways ot pre venting family breakdown,and ways ot im proving chose community conditions which help create such human havoc. Through chc development of effective family counseling, through the provision of many ocher direct services for children as well as through vol unteer leadership and support chc Family Agency [sic] is chc local spearhead for strong family life,’’25 h is no wonder chat Valentine was named Santa Barbara’s So cial Worker of the Year in 1962.

41

chc number one FSA service sought by the community. FSA soon began calling it couples counseling due to the emergence of unmarried couples living together. The agency began sponsoring "encounter ex periences’’ weekends as well as other workshops to make "relationships more real." The 1972 release of the Masters and Johnson’s Sexuality mManiage report put an even higher emphasis on marriage counseling, and the community’s interest in FSA's work increased dramatically. In 1974, the agency started a conciliation service to aid couples before going to di vorce court.

The issues of chc lace 1960s and chc

In addition to counseling, in 1973, the agency started two programs for persons 55 and older. The Worry Clinic "intro duced the power of positive worrying" to older adults. It was ollcrcd once a month

1970s. such as an increase in working mothers, drug use, and unprecedented "new teen-ager's" habits, brought tamilics to social service agencies for guidance.

Counseling was no longer a sign of weak ness. In fact, seeking help was now some thing in which one could cake great pride because of chc growing trend coward "sell awareness."

for large groups, who would break into smaller groups for discussion. The second program was Concern, "a problem solving group opportunity.’’ Meeting once a week, this smaller, ongoing group of fered an opportunity for seniors to "get to know each other better through sharing their concerns.’’ Muriel Shapiro, who of fered her services on a volunteer basis, ran

Family Service Agency continued on its course of family services, while adapt ing to changing times. A Working Moth er’s Therapy Group started in 1967. That same year, FSA agreed to participate in a nation-wide, federally-funded program of narcotic addiction rehabilitation, the only FSA in the country to operate such a pro gram. After completing a detoxification program, one or two clients per year would be referred to FSA for intensive, in-

both groups.

In 1969, the agency began Meals and Related Services for Aging Citizens of Santa Barbara. The program delivered meals to homebound seniors and encour

Families Under Stress

home counseling and case management.

The success race was about lilcy percent.

Tlic trend towards seeking counseling without shame saw the emergence of Em ployee Assistance Programs. In February, 1969, chc agency signed a contract to pro vide counseling services to chc member ship of the Retail Clerks Union.

By 1970, marriage counseling became

aged socialization by matching the senior with other services within the communi ty. Unlike the current FSA Senior Servic es, the program was meant for seniors who would not remain homebound, but were only incapacitated for a short time due to health reasons. In 1973, the agency began the first ol a five-year federal con tract CO start the Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP)to train and provide vol unteer opportunities lor chose sixty years and older. One year later. 217 volunteers were enlisted and 101 placements made.

Also in 1973, the agency started a con tract prt)gram with Santa Barbara day

42

NOTICIAS

The former Talk of the 'Town restaurant became the neiv home of Family Service Agency in igSy. sonnci issues. Also during die 1970s, CALM (Child Abuse Listening Mediation) and the Carrillo Community Medical Clinic (called Freedom Clinic at the time) became tenants of the agency.

care centers. Counselors would provide on site consultation to the staff of McKinley and Santa Barbara nursery schools, and counseling tor parents.

In 1971, the agency, at the invitation of the Isla Vista Community Services Center, began providing counseling and consultant services five nights a week at its site. "We are uniting our social service skills with the skills of the University Student Counseling Center, Switchboard, and Lsla Vista Medi

While the late 1960s and early 1970s saw a ten percent increase of work, the agency could not match it with an in crease in revenue. In 1966, one-third of

cal Clinic to provide a more rounded coun seling program in Isla Vista.”

The only new program added during the later half of the 1970s was the MOD

FSA's clients could not afford to pay any fee, one-third paid between one to five dollars a visit and one-third paid between five and ten dollars a session. In 1971,

SQUAD. Created in 1977, the program had boys from the Los Prietos Boys Camp go to seniors’ homes to do light mainte nance and gardening work. During this same time, the RSVP program disasso ciated itself from the agency due to per-

thirty-five percent of all clients were re ceiving services for free and the highest fee any one was paying was $18.50.

Due primarily to changes in funding prioritization and focus, United Ways lunding, which had previously paid for all

Oood-Bye to the Adobe

FAMILY SHRVICH AGENCY

43

but a small percentage ot work, was dras tically cut in the 1970s and federal funding began to dry up as well. In 1976. the Unit ed Way in Lompoc so drastically cut its funding the agency was forced to scop of fering services in that community.

In order to maintain its services, FSA’s

Board member Sheridah Gerard was ap pointed chairman ot che Community Task Force ior a Child Guidance Clinic. "There is a glaring void in mental health services in Santa Barbara County, There are psychiacrically oriented pediatricians. There arc abundant services tor adults and tami-

Board of Direcct^rs began actively raising lunds and started a formal public relations campaign. The annual membership drive was now being personalized with notes trom board members. The results looked

lics. There are sophisticated services for the elderly, but there is no service centered on preschool children and pre-teenagers."

Gerard explained.

This feeling was echoed by the 1979-81 Santa Barbara County Mental Health plan that placed the need lor children’s services as one ot the

promising. In 1967, $'1,335 was raised trom 110 members. Two years later, more than $1,600 was earned and in 1970, an all-time high in lund raising occurred when $1,980 was raised. During the 1970s, however, che agency repeatedly had CO dip into its reserves to balance che budget, and che board began discussing selling the valuable adobe property.

In October 1980, che board announced the adobe, its home tor che last seventy years, was tor sale. They stated chat it had become coo valuable for its current uses and che agency was in need of money to cover che rising cost of its programs.

The annual budget, which was $300,000 in 1980, had doubled since 1978 and there had been a deficit showing tor the last two years. Since the board had ruled against any lurcher agency service cutbacks, the 1.8 acres of property was put up for sale.

One year later, che Berkus Group architec tural firm purchased che land lor $1.6 mil lion. The agency moved to 817 De la Vina Street.

FSA RrINVIO'ORATED The sale ot che property in 1981, new sources of revenue and continuing volun teer leadership brought FSA back to the leading edge ot social services and to the forefront ot intervention and prevention in che 1980s. The Board of Directors, led by Beverly H. King, revitalized the agency in response to community needs of the day and in so doing laid che groundwork for today's services.

highest priorities, and the Juvenile Justice Master Plan for 1979-80 called tor expand 27 ed preventative children’s services.

The task lorce brought together more than one hundred community members, representing professionals and volunteers interested in researching the need for chil dren’s preventive services. In 1980. there were 79,712 children in the county who were under the age ot eighteen. Based on che President’s Commission on Mental Health report in 1977, tittecn percent of all children would need help tor emotional problems at some pcMnc in their childhood, translating to 12,000 children in the county who could benefit trom a Child Guidance Clinic. During the early 1980s. che country saw an increase in suicide races among young children and violent crimes committed by youth. Added to these glaring statistics was the tact that clinical care in Santa Barbara was ex tremely expensive and out ot reach for most tamilies. FSA Iclt compelled to act.

In December 1980. a sixty-member advisory committee was lormcd bv che board to raise funds and oversee the estab lishment ot an FSA Child Guidance Clin ic. Co-chaired by Ms. Gerard and Shirley Ann Hurley, che committee raised enough funds to open FSA’s Child Guidance Clin ic on October 6, 1983.

The Child Guidance Clinic proved to be so successtul that in 1984. school dis tricts began to contract with the agency

44

NOTICIAS

youth CO provide chore service to seniors was not successful, it did prove that there was a need for a home maintenance and repair service For low-income seniors in the community. FSA reinvented the pro gram and hired craftsmen who. with vol unteers. complete home modifications, such as wheelchair ramp and grab bar in stallations, enabling seniors to remain in their homes, independently and safely, for as long as possible.

In response to the need to offer more chan household services to lonely and iso lated seniors, FSA created Care Line in

Voluntccr Cally Brcnnand dicring the 1989 phonea-thon. The agency raises tiventy-five percent ojits budget thrmigh donatimis and grants.

1983. This free telephone reassurance pro gram has volunteers call homebound sen iors daily to offer companionship and en sure safety.

Mo STorpiNG Thea^ Mow

to provide on-site counseling to children and their families. The agency is currently in six school districts, serving twentyeight elementary schools and two middle schools and reaching more chan five hun dred children a year.

This ability to sec a community need and fill it seemed to invigorate the agency for the rest of the 1980s and many new programs that filled community voids were established, A Community Service Task Force, headed by Dr. Ruth Werner and Barbara Hall. RN, reviewed commu nity services tor seniors and disabled adults. At the committee’s recommenda tion, FSA began its Homemaker Service for these individuals and continues it to day. Homemakers provide in-home house keeping services, such as vacuuming, laun dry. dusting, etc. Based on a social work model. Homemakers also provide compan ionship and referrals. Four months after it began, requests tor the service were so great that it had to expand and hire two additional workers. It remains one of the agency’s most requested senior services.

During this time, the MOD SQUAD became SAIL (Services Aimed at Indepen dent Living). While working with the

With new innovative, high-quality programs and a renewed interest in FSA from the community, FSA began to expe rience a demand for services that made the De la Vina sice overcrowded and often inadequate for clients and staff. FSA vol new home unteers bcaan lookina for chat would provide adequate space and evoke the same feelings of warmth and care chat the adobe had provided for so many years.

In 1986. Patricia Dillon Bliss. Board President, spearheaded the search for FSA's new home. After negotiations with the Richard La Piana. Sr. family, the Talk of the Town restaurant was purchased in September of chat year. FSA moved into its new home on March 9. 1987, and in so doing, doubled its operating space.

With this purchase. FSA again moved into a building rich in Santa Barbara his tory. The Talk of the Town restaurant was one of Santa Barbara’s oldest and most popular eating establishments. The La Piana family purchased the Viccorianera structure from Augusta Roberts in 1948. The family closed the restaurant in August. 1986.

The agency had become more sophisci-

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY

45

cated about fund raising during this time.

In 1987, one-third of the agency’s revenue came from individuals and foundations, a

sionals on skills necessary to assise disas ter survivors.

Hundreds of information sheets were

long cry from the former reliance on Unit ed Ways. In addition. FSA now had an endowment established with the proceeds of the adobe sale.

distributed throughout the community on coping with the post-traumatic stress of the fire and how to help children during this time. Family Service Agency con ducted a debriefing session for city fire fighters to address their specific reactions and needs. Crisis intervention sessions

The board felt ready to take on the agency’s first capital campaign, called The Campaign jor FSA:TalkoJ thel own.It was an $800,000 endeavor to complete the pur chase of the new site, as well as to renovate and refurbish the new home. Campaign leadership included; Jan Severson, Hono rary Chair; Ms. Hurley, Chair; Ms. Bliss, Major Gifts Chair; Mark Lee and Regina Roisman, General Gifts Chairs; Carole MacElhcnny. Events Chair; John Mackall.

Business Gifts Chair; Nancy Myers, De sign Chair; Doug Rossi, Board President; Susan Rchm, FSA Executive Director; and more than forty other committee mem bers. The three-year campaign exceeded its goal by $70,000 and enabled the agency to retire its mortgage during its ninety-second year of operations.

History oi- Crisis Response As it had done during the 1925 earth quake and the 1930s Depression, FSA didn’t hesitate to step in and help when the community faced a disaster. The crisis that Santa Barbara confronted in June, 1990, was the Painted Cave Fire, in which more than five hundred homes were de stroyed.

Family Service Agency immediately went into action and coordinated efforts with the media and the Red Cross to link those with available housing to those dis placed by the fire. FSA counselors were at the Goleta Sports Center when people came in having watched their homes be destroyed. The agency provided telephone crisis counseling and emergency consulta tions. Two national disaster experts from Family Service America, FSA’s national affiliation, were brought in to offer an im mediate refresher course for agency profes-

were also presented at the request of sev eral local neighborhood groups affected by the fire, including one for sixty-eight peo ple who lost their homes.

To help children and their families con tinue to overcome the frightening memo ries associated with the fire, FSA with The Psychological Trauma Center, creat ed a guided activity workbook. JM)’ Fire Stom. The Countv Mental Health Services. which coordinated federal funding fol lowing the disaster, designated Family Service Agency coordinator of services for children and families. Six months after the disaster, FSA continued to provide free counseling to people affected by the fire.

Seven years later, FSA was forced to respond to a different kind of crisis, a ran dom act of violence, A bank robbery oc curred at the Vandenberg Federal Credit Union in Lompoc resulting in the death of one bystander and an injury to another.

The bank manager called FSA’s Commu nity Resources and Information Services (CRIS)/HelpLine program within minutes of the tragedy asking for assistance for the witnesses who were traumatized by the violence. Within ten minutes, two FSA counselors trained in crisis interven tion were at the bank.

The manager wrote to express her thanks; It’s hard to believe it’s been three iveeks since I called you folloiving the Lompoc branch robbery/shootings. You responded so quickly to our cry Jor help ... on short notice, too. We really appreciate the care and comfort you gave to our employees. 7here were so many different reactions, Jeelings and con-

46

NOTICIAS

cans to deal with. Your being there and helping those who requested it ivas the first step on the long road to recoveryjor our employees.

Thank, you again Jor coming so quickly <^^d helping our anphyecs get through that first

only north county program designed to support single mothers and their sons.

Also in 1994, CRlS/HclpLine. the county’s only 24-hour suicide prevention, crisis intervention, information, and refer

day.

ral service, became a program of FSA. "FSA and CRlS/HcIpLinc were a very compatible match." explained Eleanor Wright, former CRIS board mem ber and current FSA board member.

Continuing Traditions The past decade has been one of con tinuing traditions that trace back to the agency’s beginning. FSA has continued to offer the most innovative services for chil dren. families and .seniors; to work with private and public agencies to ensure com plete care without duplication; and to of fer residents ways to participate and help their community grow. The hiring of William E.G, Batty III as FSA’s Execu tive Director in 1992 enhanced this tradi tion of excellence in service.

With the board's leadership and Batty’s guidance. FSA continues to respond to emerging community needs. In 1993, FSA returned to the Lompoc community with FAST (Families and Schools Together), a nationally-rect>gnized program. FAST is an innovative way to bring families to schools and empower parents to be their children’s educational advocates. This pro gram is now county-wide and in both ele mentary and middle schools. That same year, the agency also expanded its Child Guidance .services to Lompoc when that community cxpres.scd a need for early in tervention and prevention programs.

By 1996. FSA services in Lompoc had grown three hundred percent. In addition to school-based coun.selors. Child Guid

"The process of our organization joining FSA was highly detailed and well planned.” With the addition of this county-wide program and the dramat ic increase in Lompoc services FSA once again was and is available to all San ta Barbara County residents in need.

Most recently, in 1998, the agency took over the management of the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program when Klein Bottle Youth Services closed its doors.

This county-wide

Family Service Agency: Strc7igthening Familiesfor One I lund7xd Tears.

Jr

£i-

i»

4

ance Programs and FAST, the agency be gan participating in MISC (Multi-Agency Integrated System of Care), a County De partment of Mental Health program to serve the most difficult youth in Lompoc with intensive in-hcMnc and in-school ser vices.

The agency also began the Mothers & Sons Program, helping mothers with ado lescent sons who arc at risk of involvement in the juvenile justice system. This is the

mentoring program

1

K'.V

47

FAMILY SERVICE AGENCY was without a home and sustainable fund ing and would have been lost to the com munity if not for FSA’s leadership. The agency took up the challenge, brought the program under its administrative umbrella, and raised enough funds to sustain it for the next eighteen months. Other schoolbased counseling programs in Lompoc were also taken up by FSA because of Klein Bottle’s closing.

Centennial Celebration After one hundred years. Family Ser vice Agency continues to be at the fore front of social work. Its twenty programs maintain the essence of the founders' vi sion. Each one. whether for children, fami lies. individuals, couples, or seniors, ena bles those most in need in the community to help themselves without duplicating the efforts of other agencies.

FSA’s role in the community is as rele vant today as it was in 1899. The agency has experienced dramatic growth in the demand for existing services during the past five years and the number of new

programs and services has expanded by thirty percent. The agency continues to serve those most in need, with more than seventy percent of its clients living in households classified as low income, and each year this percentage increases.

In addition, FSA remains a role model in fund development. Compared to other like agencies, its ability to raise almost twenty-five percent of its $2.7 million an nual budget from individuals, corpora tions. foundations, and endowment earn ings is unusual. Its endowment fund ensures the continuing tradition of quality services into the next one hundred years.

For a century. Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara has been guided by lead ers of ability and vision. They have been proactive in responding to community needs and resourceful in providing for the operating needs of the agency. As today’s leaders pave the way for the future efforts of the agency, Santa Barbara should be proud of its social work heritage and the role Family Service Agency has played in building a strong community.

MOTES JVfuc/i ofthe infonnation for this article was draxvnfivm the archives ofFamily Service Agaicy ofSanta Barbara. Especially useful were the Agency’s Board ofDirectors ininutesfrom 1899-197.^. Also used ivere the organization’s brochures, letters, an7iual reports, and neivsletters, as well as the internal history unitings fivm Al Cutting, Executive Director, igyg~ig8;}, and Beverly Hartman King, Board President, igyS'igSi. 1

SantaBarbaraHeivs-Press, ISOccober 1948.

13 Santa BarbaraNeu's-Press. 10 October 1945.

14 Ibid.

2 Santa Barbara7^eivs-Press. 5 August 1973.

3 Clarence Cullimorc.Sunfu Barbara Adobes(Ba kersfield: Santa Barbara Bcx)k Publishing Com pany, 1948), 15.

4 SantaBarbaraHeu-s-Press. 13January 1974.

5 John R. Southworth, Santa Barbara and Montecito Past and Present(Santa Barbara; Orena Stu dios. 1920), 216-219.

6 Dai'b'A'eit's(Santa Barbara), 11 November 1927.

7 Santa Barbara A'eivs-Press. 31 October 1945.

21 Santa Barbara News-Press. 6 April 1956.

22 Santa BarbaraNews-Press. 31 March 1957.

2i SantaBarbaraNews-Press. 10 October 1961.

8 Daily Neivs(Saniz Barbara). 10 November 1927.

9 Dad)'A^e«.'s(Santa Barbara). 20 July 1927.

10 Santa Barbara NeivS'Press. 31 October 1945.

11 Ibid.

12 Ibid.

25 The Carpmteria Herald. 12 October 1961.

26 Santa BarbaraNeus-Press. 21 December 1981.

27 Ibid.

28 Ibid.

15 SantaBarbaraHcivs-Prcss. 1 April 1945.

16 Ibid.

17 Santa BarbaraA’eivs-Press. 7June 1951.

18 Santa BarbaraHeics-Press. 18 March 1951.

19 Santa Barbara A'ews-Press. 22 March 1953.

20 Santa BarbaraKewS'Press. 21 December 1948.

24 Ibid.

le Santa Barbara Historical Society wishes to acknowledge the generous support 01

Qp. Anb Qps. QhApLes QLeek tor tile publication ot this issue o:

HoClClAS

SANTA BARBARA HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ruth B. Scollin President Lawrence Hammett . . . , . First Vice President Second Vice President

Jane Rich Mueller Michael K. Cribbs

Secretary Treasurer

Barbara Parker Robinson Victor H. Bartolome Patricia Broome Barbara Cleveland Lani Meanley Collins Alexandra Crissman Dan Cross

Oswald Da Ros Marilyn Chandler De Young Elizabeth Edwards George E, Frakes Jean Goodrich

Leslie Hovey Michael Rodrii'ue Gen. F. Michael Rogers USAF(ret.)

Marlene Schulz Cicely Wheelon

George M. Anderjack, Executive Director David S. Bisol, Curator Patricia Warren, Director of Administration and Finance Lisa Thompson, Coordinator of Development Michael Redmon, Director of Research and Publications LIFE MEMBERS The Santa Barbara Historical Society wishes to thank and to acknowledge with pride the following Life Members for their continuing support.

Mr. Stephen A. Acronico Mr. and Mrs. William B. Azbell

Mrs. Georgette Higginson Mrs. Glenn D. Hillebrand

Mr. and Mrs. J. W.Beaver

Mr. Eric P. Hvolboll

Mr. Danily Bell

Dr. and Mrs. C. Seybert Kinsell

Mr. Marvin J. Branch

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Luton, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Ashleigh Brilliant

Mrs. Jane Rich Mueller

Mrs. Virgina Castagnola-Hunter

Mr. William W. Murfey

Mr. Pierre P. Claeyssens

Mr. Spencer L. Murfey,Jr.

Mrs. Natalie B. Clark-Harpham Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cleek

Mr. David F. Myrick

Mrs. Florence Corder-Witter Mr. J. V. Crawford

Mr. and Mrs. Godwin). Pelissero Mrs. Rena Redmon

Mr. Richard G. Croft, Jr.

Lord and Lady Paul Ridley-Tree Mrs. Alma R. Ritchie

Mr. and Mrs. Oswald J. Da Ros

Mr. Wade Rubottom

Marla Daily Mrs. Albert De L’Arbre

Mrs. Melville Sahyun

Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Fish

Mr. and Mrs. J. Terry Schwartz

Mrs.Helen W. Foyer

Mrs. David Shoudy Mr. Walter G. Silva

Master John Galvin Mr. Michael Galvin

Mr. and Mrs. Peter J. Samuelson

Mr. and Mrs. Burke H. Simpson Mr. Ivano Paolo Vit

Miss Sally Gane Mr. and Mrs. Keith Gledhill

Elizabeth Woodward

Mr. Richard C. Harpham

Mr. John C. Woodward

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NOTICIAS Quarterly Magaz;ine of the Santa Barbara Historical Society P.O. Box 578 Santa Barbara, California 93102-0578

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